Chaotik

Hello all,

This is my first post here as I recently traded in my trusty 2004 4 cyl EX-L Accord for a 2012 TL SHAWD with Elite Pack (I think it's called Advanced in the US).
The car only had 40,000 km (25,000 miles). Basically, it's almost new.

I picked it up last Tuesday and so far, I love it. Sooooo much better than my old Accord !

I do have 2 concerns with it though..

1- I believe it has the propeller shaft issue that has been discussed a lot here. I distinctly hear the whistle sound on the highway. My brother in law drove it and told me he heard it too. I'll mention it to the dealer and see what they say. Hopefully they don't argue and fix under warranty !

2- The shocks/struts seem to be worn. When I hit uneven pavement / ripples in the pavement (which we have a lot of in Quebec), I hear a knocking in the front suspension. I suppose it could be argued that this is "normal wear and tear" ?

Given that the car I bought was "certified" by an Acura dealer, I'm kind of annoyed that they wouldn't have fixed a known issue (the propeller shaft) and that they wouldn't have noticed the issue with the suspension...

Am I being to picky or demanding ? I mean... it is a used car but still.. not that old and to have to spend money on repairs right away was certainly not what I had in mind.

What do you think ? Should all of this been addressed before picking it up ?

Thanks !

Chaotik

VQPower37

25000 miles is not enough for the shocks to be blown, if they are i would think they should be replaced under warranty.

dont think you will have any problem getting the propeller shaft replaced

ray01

you should still be covered under the 4yr 80k bumper to bumper warranty. so take it in and see what needs to be replaced

mylove4cars

The dealership should take care of both issues, strange they did not test drive the car themselves before going to the CPO process.

The propeller shaft is a known issue will be replaced free of charge; your suspension problem is another story, with the low mileage the vehicle has that should not be, only when hit a deep pot-hole or drive over an obstacle at speed might give you that kind of problem.

I would insist at the dealership to check the entire suspension and accordingly request repair/replacement free of charge plus free rental vehicle.

I would also demand a recheck of the vehicle, and ask if you can bring a mechanic.

Look at your CPO checklist if everything was done (Fluids & Filters) (Check tires & Rims - Look for abuse - Like damage on the rims check tires, do you have vibration at certain speeds or vibration with breaking, does the car pull at a certain direction when breaking, etc.

C8N

I guess it would depend on the dealer but from what I have seen, CPO inspections are a lot of BS. Sort of like all the inspections they are supposed to do to justify that $125 charge for an oil change and tire rotation. Don't get me wrong, I am not saying they don't do crap but I assume much of it is more visual than anything. However, CPO is good for that additional warranty. At the end of the day, CPO car is a used car and can have issues. Don't let the CPO tag fool you into thinking that that the car has been restored to "new".

Brock79

The CPO is only good for the warranty. They do visual checks and that's it. I had my car in the dealer three times for things the 150 checkpoint was suppose to cover. Needless to say they did replace or fix the issues but tpit should have been done in the first place.

Chaotik

I have an appointment next week at my dealership.
They will provide me with a courtesy car which is nice.

Of couse, even though I tried to steer them in the right direction (prop shaft and such), they said they need to do their own diagnosis which I suppose is normal. Hopefully they find the problem.

I also mentionned to them the torque converter software update issue since there are times, when I hit the throttle just the right amount where the car jitters a bit during acceleration.

They said they may have to keep the car for a few days to go over all 3 issues.

JT4

Congrats with the TL, i hope all your issues get resolved..

Chaotik

My TL is now in the shop. They'll call me tomorrow.
In the meantime, I'm riding in a 2014 RDX with Tech.
I much prefer the TL. The RDX steering feels much lighter than the TL. I was never a fan of SUVs and crossovers.

carbonTSEX

To me CPO is just a sales gimmick.

Chaotik

I agree with you with respect to the "inspection" part of it.
But it does come with a very good interest rate (2.9% for 60 months in my case) + some kind of extra warranty.

carbonTSEX

But all used cars go through inspection before sold at major dealerships. They wouldn't buy/sell it if it didn't. I feel they use it for the cars that sit for awhile. But, extended warranty on them is nice and they are priced a little better for a quick sale.

andrewcjduong

If you live in Quebec, blown shocks could definitely happen. Those roads are so horrible.

Chaotik

I know... Roads are terrible ! Having said that, I expected blown anything to be fixed when taking ownership of an almost new CPO.

I got an update from the dealership today. They are keeping my car overnight and tomorrow.

They confirmed the driveshaft issue. New driveshaft is going in tomorrow.
They have sent some tranny data for analysis somewhere to see if there's something wrong with the torque converter. They'll have more news on that tomorrow.

As for the suspension, the jury is still out. It sounds like they didn't get to that yet.

I get to keep the RDX for another day. So far, they take good care of me which is a definite bonus !

andrewcjduong

Which dealership do you go to? Are you in Hull? I'm in Ottawa and friggen Camco Acura treats me like crap. Been trying to find a better place.

Chaotik

I am dealing with Acura Brossard (south shore of Montreal). It's also where I bought it.
I'm afraid it would be quite the schlep for you

So they just called me and the news is good.

- New driveshaft is ordered
- New torque converter is ordered
- There is an issue with the shocks at the back which they will fix.

Everything is covered by the warranty BUT the TC is backordered by 3-4 weeks.

I'm picking up the TL tonight and will get another appointment when they have all the parts and they will fix everything at once.

pcloadletter

Dealers just do a visual to get the CPO seal of approval and let the new owner find the problems. Then they bill Honda for the repairs otherwise, the dealer would have to pay for the repairs before it was sold.

I could be wrong, but the dealer makes out on both the sale and service.

Chaotik

Status update :

I just picked up my car from the dealer after a 2 day repair.
They fixed the TC, propeller shaft and suspension. They also ended up changing a crank seal that apparently was leaking a little.

During the fix they loaned my an ILX... Boy.. it's no TL ! But it beats the bus any day

So far the whistle sound is gone. But the biggest improvement is with the tranny. It shift sooo much smoother now. I'm glad I got them to look at this. If I had not, I wouldn't have known any better.

Finally, a great shout out to the people at Acura Brossard who really did go the extra mile to take care of this issue. I'm very happy with their service.

Edward'TLS

^^^^^

Good to hear that everything is fixed up for you.

Chaotik

Darn.. Looks like I was too quick to celebrate.

When I pulled out of my driveway this AM, I noticed a puddle of red fluid on the ground, more or less under the engine bay.

I suppose it's tranny fluid which would indicate the TC fix was not done correctly ? Either way, I guess it has to go in, again.. !

That car spent more time at the dealer then in my driveway in the month and a half I had it !